We were only in Florida for three weeks but you’d never know it based on all our adventures. We snorkeled, hiked, sunbathed, and even picked up a new sport: pickleball. This is our last Florida trip report (until we visit again!) and we are packing it in. Biscayne National Park: Our last National Park in Florida…
The Florida Everglades as seen by a pale white boy on a bicycle
“I hope we get to see some wildlife.” – Colin, five minutes before spending the next five hours biking alongside 50+ alligators, a variety of birds, fish and turtles. To say that the Everglades exceeded our expectations is a gross understatement. It was one of our most memorable days – and it cost $0.00. At…
The Florida Keys to my heart
Who’s got four thumbs and goes to the Florida Keys on a whim, without any summer clothes to speak of? These two! We never planned to go to Florida on this first trip. However, once we realized that the temperatures in North Carolina weren’t what we were looking for and we had seen what we…
Two weeks on the road and we’ve already stayed at our first truck stop
It’s hard to believe it’s only been two weeks since we left Illinois. We’ve been to six states, I jubilantly crossed off my 50th state, Colin saw his first manatee and we’ve already gone through about 5 bottles of sunscreen. Because pale. We also had a lot of van life firsts: we stayed overnight at…
Holy van build, Batman, we’re done!
15 weeks ago, we rolled into Bolingbrook, IL all bright eyed and bushy tailed. We had just ended our first two months traveling in a make-shift home and we were excited to start BUILDING our “real” home. And so it began… We ripped out the factory floor, added insulation and sound deadening, made a new floor,…
Build Update: Lisa falls in love with a butcher block and leaves Colin
Wow, it really feels like we’re nearing the finish line. We have walls now and the real makings of a kitchen including a butcher block that turned my world upside down. We’re garnering more interest around the warehouse too so you know it’s legit. Lower Cabinets: Last time we left you, we had a framework…
Build Update: Power, cabinets, and a ceiling!
It’s been about eleven weeks since we gutted Vaniel to begin the final van build. Well, Vaniel is finally at the point where most of the progress we make is very visible. We’ve got ceilings, lights, paint jobs, and cabinets galore. Oh, it’s getting fun now. Ceiling install: It’s official. I love our ceiling. Good…
Van-Building: A Journey of Patience
Van-building, it’s a labor of love, but make no mistake, it’s still labor. VANUAL LABOR (teehee). This blog could also be called “Lisa works manual labor for two months and wants to talk about it.” or “Two months of vanual labor and I haven’t lost a pound but my body aches every day – what…
Build update: Fancy doors, vinyl floor, and two workers who are very, very sore
It’s been over two weeks since our last build update, so I bet you’re hoping for a lot of progress. Well, YOU’VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE (especially since you’re on our new website – well done you!). It’s easy to lose track of all our momentum but, thanks to photos, I won’t miss a…
If Vaniel were a cheese, he’d be Swiss: A build update
From zero holes in the van to three, it’s been a productive few weeks so we’re checking in with a build update. With the holidays, we haven’t been at our usual six days/week routine but we have gotten a fair amount of research and prep work done on our “off” days. While progress may feel…